Some facts about diamonds

Most diamonds were formed more than 100 miles below the surface of the Earth, even perhaps 400 miles down. Most diamonds existing today are over three billion years old, two-thirds the age of the Earth. There are some though, which are only 100 million years old. A diamond is crystallized carbon. Carbon is the most common substance that is known and is present in every plant, animal and mineral on the earth.

The most recent kimberlite volcano eruption was approximately 53 million years ago. Although diamonds are supposed to be colorless or white, they come in a range of colors. Colored diamonds are called "fancies."

Before the sixth century, India was the only known source of diamonds and the predominant source for over 2,000 years, until the mid-eighteenth century. Romans wore diamonds as talismans to ward off evil, which was taken from the Indian mythology.

Diamonds were not used in European jewelry until the late 13th century. They were initially used for such purposes as engraving other gemstones, such as sapphire cameos, and for drilling holes in hard stone beads (such beads drilled by diamonds have been dated to archaeological sites as early as 400 BCE).A law in thirteenth-century France decreed that only the king could wear diamonds.

Recently there have been diamond discoveries in North America (in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in Colorado), where explorers found diamond pipes in 1990.

"One-hour eyeglasses" have only become possible with the use of diamond tools, which can quickly and accurately shape the lenses.Since diamonds can endure tremendously high temperatures and corrosive conditions, and because they are transparent to most forms of light and electromagnetic radiation, they are ideal for use as windows in industry and in space probes, including the 1978 Pioneer space probe to the surface of Venus.

Every copper wire in your computer, television, and house has been shaped with a die made from diamond.

Diamond scalpels are very effective because their sharp, hard edges never dull, and, because diamond's hydrophobic surface (its resistance to being wetted) ensures that wet tissue does not adhere to the blade.

The largest rough diamond ever found was the Cullinan, 3,106 carats, discovered on January 26, 1905 in the Premier mine of South Africa. It was then cut into nine major stones, including the largest gem diamond, the Cullinan 1, or Star of Africa, 550.20 carats. This is set in the British Royal Scepter, which is housed in the Tower of London.

The first internationally accepted diamond-grading system was developed in the 1950s by the Gemological Institute of America. This system provides unbiased opinions of the quality of polished diamonds by applying uniform criteria to their grading.

The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory Diamond Grading Report has become the yardstick for the international gem and jewelry industry. Diamond grading reports or diamond certificates, are given with the purchase of a major piece of diamond jewellery such as a diamond Engagement Ring.

Artificial diamonds are made in the same way as they are formed in nature, with tremendous heat and pressure, by engineers in the laboratory.